Operation Solare
Encyclopedia
Operation Solare is the Italian name for an anti-drugs operation involving the U.S.A., Mexico
, Guatemala
and Italy
, involving a major Mexican drug cartel, the Gulf Cartel
and the 'Ndrangheta mafia
from the Calabria
region of Italy. In the operation, some 200 people were arrested in Italy
and in the U.S.A.
According to U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency more than 16,000 kg (35,280 lb) of cocaine
, 450 kg of methamphetamine
, 9 kg of heroin, 23,300 kg of marijuana, 176 vehicles and 167 weapons were seized as well as approximately US$60.1m (£33m). Charges pending in the U.S.A. and Italy cover various crimes, including trafficking of cocaine and marijuana, kidnap charges, attempted murder, conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime and conspiracy to kill and kidnap in a foreign country.
Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, Jorge Eduardo Costilla
and Heriberto Lazcano, the leader of Los Zetas
. Among those detained from the 'Ndrangheta are sixteen members of the Aquino-Coluccio clan – led by Giuseppe Coluccio
– which dominates the Gioiosa Ionica
area in the province of Reggio Calabria
. They were identified and arrested in New York and Calabria.
According to Nicola Gratteri, the Italian prosecutor, the Gulf Cartel is still present in Italy and Europe, despite the operation. "The traffic (between Mexicans and Italians) continues, because the Mexicans sold drugs for an even lower price (than the Colombians) and are content with lower profit margins, so it is considered convenient to buy from the Mexicans," he said.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, involving a major Mexican drug cartel, the Gulf Cartel
Gulf Cartel
The Gulf Cartel is one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico, and perhaps the oldest organized crime group in the country...
and the 'Ndrangheta mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
from the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
region of Italy. In the operation, some 200 people were arrested in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and in the U.S.A.
According to U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency more than 16,000 kg (35,280 lb) of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, 450 kg of methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
, 9 kg of heroin, 23,300 kg of marijuana, 176 vehicles and 167 weapons were seized as well as approximately US$60.1m (£33m). Charges pending in the U.S.A. and Italy cover various crimes, including trafficking of cocaine and marijuana, kidnap charges, attempted murder, conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime and conspiracy to kill and kidnap in a foreign country.
Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, Jorge Eduardo Costilla
Jorge Eduardo Costilla
Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez, nicknamed El Coss, is a Mexican drug lord and the leader of the criminal drug trafficking organization known as the Gulf Cartel.- Biography :Costilla was born on August 1, 1971...
and Heriberto Lazcano, the leader of Los Zetas
Los Zetas
Los Zetas is the second most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as the most violent drug cartel and paramilitary enforcement group in Mexico...
. Among those detained from the 'Ndrangheta are sixteen members of the Aquino-Coluccio clan – led by Giuseppe Coluccio
Giuseppe Coluccio
Giuseppe Coluccio is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. He was a fugitive since 2005 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture on August 7, 2008, in Toronto .-Born in 'Ndrangheta family:Coluccio was born in...
– which dominates the Gioiosa Ionica
Gioiosa Ionica
Gioiosa Ionica is a town and comune in Italy in the province of Reggio Calabria, region of Calabria. It lies near the east coast of Calabria and covers an area of 35 km²....
area in the province of Reggio Calabria
Province of Reggio Calabria
The Province of Reggio Calabria is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Reggio., it has an area of 3,183 km², and a total population of 565,866. There are 97 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Reggio Calabria.- Economy :The region is...
. They were identified and arrested in New York and Calabria.
According to Nicola Gratteri, the Italian prosecutor, the Gulf Cartel is still present in Italy and Europe, despite the operation. "The traffic (between Mexicans and Italians) continues, because the Mexicans sold drugs for an even lower price (than the Colombians) and are content with lower profit margins, so it is considered convenient to buy from the Mexicans," he said.